VILLAGERS from Bubi, under the Bubi Community Parliament in Matabeleland North province have launched a fundraising campaign to assist a 17-year-old boy struggling to get medical assistance after being mauled by a police dog at a business centre last week.
The victim, Sabelo Dube, from Lukona village, was reportedly bitten when police officers unleashed dogs to disperse a crowd gathered at the nearby shops.
Indications are that the police officers were searching for gold panners after reports of a gold rush were made in the Inyathi area.
Dube sustained serious injuries, especially on both legs and hands.
One of the Bubi Community Parliament leaders Nkosilathi Ncube yesterday said villagers are mobilising funds to assist the teenager as his condition is deteriorating.
“His family is desperately looking for financial assistance for his medication and some well-wishers have assisted to take him to a private hospital, where the doctor is charging US$400,” Ncube said.
“There were a lot of consultations behind the scenes until we got a private doctor and everyone else is helping our boy. All boys injured will start to get medical attention.
“This boy is doing Form Four, and after he was bitten by dogs, parents took him to hospital. Police had written a wrong statement claiming that he was bitten while panning at a mine. So the mother of the boy saw the anormally and confronted the police. The police went back to the family and collected the letter with the intention to correct it and up to now, they have not returned with the amended letter.”
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Ncube said because of the wounds that the boy sustained and the medical expenses that are needed, they decided to do crowd-funding.
The victim’s uncle Collen Mpofu yesterday said his nephew got assistance from human rights groups, non-governmental organisations and the villagers.
“Our child got assistance from human rights organisations. He is at a clinic in Bulawayo. I left home (Bubi) yesterday (Thursday). I was busy with that issue,” Mpofu said.
The teenager was taken to Lukona Clinic, where staff determined that his wounds were too severe and transferred him to Nyathi Hospital.
“When the family stopped by the police station in Nyathi for a police report of the incident, the police recorded that the boy was bitten by the dogs at the mine. The mine is 2km away from the shops and to access the mine, you have to pass by the shops,” Mpofu told the media.
